That was a great video, and I applaud your ability to go back, examine your previous choices, and make changes based on new perspectives gained from discussions with others. Very few people examine their own thought processes as intensely as you do. A lot of people don’t examine them at all. So I appreciate it seeing it happen.
One of my favorite game authors interacting with my one of my favorite philosophy/lit channels? Amazing! TH-cam is an incredible place :) P.S. Tim I still hold out hope that Arcanum 2 (or even an Arcanum remaster) will grace this world one day.
It’s nice of you to boost him up, but everyone does self-reflect and evolve to some extent. It’s just internal and often imperceptible to those around them.
I have to thank you Jared for these videos. I have in the last 12 months picked up both Le Guin novels and Canticle after hearing you speak so highly of them. I myself loved them very deeply also. I read mostly classics but am now really enjoying dipping back into sci-fi every so often as a nice change of pace.
Let me take you back in my "way-back-machine" to 1948-1954 during which 6 books of space opera were published called "The Lensman Series. IMO, this series are the greatest science fiction as space opera existing to date. This story starts in our past, on to futures which contain the most incredible mental, physical and the incredible technology advancements which are not yet dreamed of. If science fiction becomes science fact, we have eons to go to catch up to E. E. "Doc" Smiths ideas. It literally changed and expanded my view of life and the universe. It is out of print but can still be found. Edit: I just found out on amazon The Lensman Anthology: Complete and Unabridged which contains all 6 books.
Jared you went from doing a phd in philosophy to working in a tech company. Could you make a video on how you made this transistion. Like did you do any tech related stuff while doing your phd or was it like a completely new jump. Would like to know how you made a transition from philosophy to tech. Would also help people who are considering of leaving academia after phd.
I did my primary degree in business and accountancy..decided I didnt want to become an accountant so then did a 1 year post grad diploma in I.T..this was back in 1997..Ive been working as a database developer/ programmer ever since..you can teach yourself the basics of programming or do some courses.. The majority of what I know I learned on the job or self taught..
I just loved The Left Hand of Darkness, but this year I read Cixin Liu's Three-Body Problem trilogy (Remembrance of Earth's Past) and was completely sent into another dimension!
This reminds me of my senior year at A&M when I took a class on science fiction, for fun. It was certainly reading heavy by today's standards. We had a book of about 50 short stories, and we had to read one for each class. There were about 6 full novels as well. That was when I read Left Hand of Darkness, and it stunned me, it was so good. Among the short stories, the one I remember most is 'I Have No Mouth, But I Must Scream'. It was terrifying in a way which is hard to describe.
1) Since you have Dune on here I will endorse this list (even with the downplay of its greatness) 2) Planning to read Canticle this year 3) Thanks for this, I have added a handful to my TBR list!
Really liked ur take on Dune, I really like the first book on its own and also the dune messiah because of how ti kind of ties up Paul's strory a bit. thank you so much for making videos that make me want to read more instead of just doom scrolling on my phone all day :)
I've always felt that books read the reader. Listening to you and observing your all-time list gives me a feel, I believe, for your mind and worldview. Even though I don't feel there would be a lot of commonality with my own, hearing a video like this is still helpful in my selecting the books I will give the time to read.
Jared thanks for making this video . Your discussion points are excellent and I also agree with your reasoning as to why top ten lists can change over the years.
It's great that you discovered Mieville and that you are going through some of his work. The City and the City was hard to understand, and yet it was easy to read. I'm not sure how to put that in any other way. I love that you are holding you judgement on the Baas Lag trilogy until you finish it. Those three books are all very different from one another and are hard to judge as a single trilogy. Finally, I'd like to add that I understand your feelings for Anathem. The first time I read it my mind was blown, the second time the book was cemented as my favorite sci-fi novel, for all the reasons you mention.
I read Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" in high school and was hooked, I was two when it was published. I tried to read "Stranger in a Strange Land," and "I Will Fear No Evil," but my older brother swiped them and I never got to finish them. I've since lost the taste for most all fiction. I have a collection of technical detail books on military aircraft because I'm a hobbyist who builds plastic models for fun, that consumes the bulk of my reading time. Time for me is getting short, I'm pushing 70, and I must make the best of the time I have left...
What a great list! All winners, not a mediocre book in sight. Btw, if you liked "The City & The City," you might just love "The Other City" by Michal Ajvaz (original Checz title: Druhé město). Less crime, more mesmerising Eastern European parallel cities hallucinations.
i dont even really consider cloud atlas as scifi so much as general fiction with speculative elements so when i saw you list the book it came completely out of left field for me and i just yelled "YES! YES!!" because it's possibly my favourite book of all time
I'd like to recommend His Masters Voice by Stainslaw Lem. It is supposedly sci fi but it reads more like a philosophical memoir. I don't think it'll reach your top 10, but it definitely worth reading.
Jared, thank you! So many new titles for me. Les Robinsons du Cosmos (The Robinsons of the Cosmos) by François Bordes is my number one: 'A piece of French land is ripped off from the Earth during a galactic collision and planted on an alien planet.'
Great list Jared. The only surprise for me was not seeing Hyperion on your list. Its playing with form while also having a really strong cast of characters, having beautiful prose, and poignant themes, is quite similar to other books on your list like Cloud Atlas or Culture series.
Other fun fact. The structure of Use Of Weapons was suggested to Banks by his friend and fellow sci-fi author Ken MacLeod. That way the significance of the white chair would not have been a mid-novel shock reveal but a the opening blow of a devastating one-two punch right in the feels of the reader. He actually came up with the story and started writing it before the first two books, just couldn't compete it until he cracked that structure and how to fully exploit the twists and turns of the plot.
Yooooooooo you could not be more wrong about Lewis. I was literally thinking about what I would put at the top 10 and all three were the Space Trilogy. I wouldn’t call him pedantic in the least bit; quite the opposite. In fact, there is a major contrast in his writing style to one of his dearest friend’s, Tolkien, who is the sheer definition of pedantic in his highly over-descriptive and detailed observations of things like a tree, or a leaf, or a hillside. And I adore Tolkien…it just takes more patience. Lewis gets to the point, to the heart, in all of his non-fiction (as opposed to his apologetics). I would call him anything but pedantic.
I don't think he's using the word pedantic correctly, which is ironically a very pedantic thing of me to say, lol. I think what he meant to say is Lewis is didactic. In other words he writes with the purpose of teaching moral lessons and comes across as preachy, doesn't let the reader come to their own conclusions and offers no space within the text to disagree with the Christian message he's trying to push. But it's not an issue of writing style, moreso of actual content of his works. He nicely contrasts this approach with Gene Wolfe later on, whose Catholic faith is infused in all his work but never feels like he's trying to preach/talk down to/or moralize at the reader. He just IS deeply Catholic so it naturally pops up in what he writes. I've never felt talked down to or judged as an atheist reading Wolfe. I definitely have felt that way reading Lewis (still love Narnia though, nostalgia is a helluva drug).
Loved this! I agree with your thoughts about authors not trusting readers and valuing the human element in sci-fi. I'm now looking forward to reading The City & The City!
Would love hear more of your thoughts on your souring view on Three Body Problem. I read it several years ago, and while it definitely stuck with me, I too have found myself looking more negatively upon it. There are several reasons for this, from the misogyny (that is supposedly worse in the native text) to poorly written one-dimensional characters, and perhaps most importantly issues that I have begun to have with the entire concept of the "Dark Forest Hypothesis". I personally feel that Blindsight by Peter Watts far more effectively harnesses ideas of terror that may be lurking within the unknowns and indifference of our universe, a presentation of cosmic terror that holds beyond the alien species of this particular first contact novel. Where the unknowns of our universe could easily break down the assumptions and axioms of the dark forest hypothesis, the very fact of the unknown props up the core of Watts' Blindsight regardless of how that unknown actually manifests. I much prefer the terror induced by the cold indifference of our universe over the (far lesser) terror induced by the limit of logic that the human psyche has reached insisting that any sufficiently advanced civilization must become unwaveringly xenocidal or die.
Three body problem is awesome because of the ideas. The writing is rather bleh, but it also unlike most of its competition originated in another language and required translation so unless you read it in it's native form I don't think it's fair to focus on such things. Either way this series will inspire other writers to elaborate on any of the 100 ideas brought forward in those books.
I too have soured on 3BP. Its ideas were really engaging in the moment but when I've thought about reccomending it to people, I couldn't articulate what actually made it good. Agreed on the misogyny as well, so immature and tropey it becomes funny in a way.
See my comment in this thread. The TBP has some interesting ideas, but the science in it isn't much better than the science in ERB's John Carter of Mars series.
Happy to see some Miéville on here! The broken binding is doing a release of the bas lag trilogy with incredible covers, but aside from that you're completely correct about his covers lol.
Thanks for the vid...and I'm glad you used "my favorite" instead of "greatest" or "best". That would be like stating that sky blue or alizarin crimson is the "best color".
The Dispossessed was the book that got me back into reading. It took a long time to finish but I was always glad to get back into it, and the final half of the book kept me gripped and flying through so much I finally came out the other end a reader reborn. For something as dense and complex as Anathem, you should consider making a chapter by chapter bookclub-esque series analyzing it, or even just praising it and mentioning your favorite parts and giving a different perspective in a lowkey fashion. Idk the chapter layout so maybe that's too much and it should be grouped by a few chapters at a time, but just an idea. A book club podcast REALLY helped my understanding and appreciation of Dune which is why I suggest such a thing. You could make it a paywall exclusive of some kind.
Fun fact China wrote The City and The City in honour of his mum, who wasn't into the type of genre stuff he likes to write but did love Detective fiction. His non fictional work is excellent too.
Thank you for the updated list! I have read many of the books from your last lists, thanks to your recommendations, and loved many of them dearly. Blood Meridian changed my life.
When he moved Iain Banks up on his list, I just knew it was from reading Use of Weapons, since he had not yet experienced it in his last top ten installment. By far my favorite Banks novel.
Love your reviews . Two of your top 3 are my favorite books. I only just read The Dispossessed this year and I’m still recovering. Maybe it’s a good idea to read it every year. As for Anathem, , I didn’t have a clue what was going on….all the way to the last pages. I can never be that innocent again.
Just finished the three body problem trilogy, and will be doing follow-up reflections soon. How serious of a downgrade is this? Would love it if you were to post your reasons for downgrading it.
As a scientist myself I was so excited to know your taste in science fiction and if it is as awesome as yours in philosophy….and yeaaahhh it is…thanks that list would be very helpful to everyone ✅
Thanks for sharing this video! C.S. Lewis' Perelandra, H.G. Wells Time Machine and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Jules Verne were what hooked me into sci fi when I was young. In the 80's to early 2000s I loved Ursula K. Le Guinn, Roger Zelazny, C.J. Cherryh's early foreigner series, Larry Niven, Gordon R. Dickson and the Star Trek Novels TNG Novels :) I'm looking to ignite my passion in sci fi again so your video is a good place to start :)
Great video as always, Jared. Our opinions and preferences aren't static and as we read more, we also evolve. Looking inward to find out what has changed and bringing in new book recommendations and new ideas is what makes us better readers and writers. Looking forward to this list in 2025.
The Culture series is absolutely amazing. I find Consider Phlebas very underrated. I think it shows a different side of the culture series and a different style by Banks.
How do you feel about the Mars Trilogy? I've only read Red Mars, myself, but I adored every second of it. The discussion of how this unique culture develops on Mars, and how it transforms and comes into conflict with Earth is incredibly compelling.
I read The Dispossessed thanks to you and sunbeamsjess and fell in love with it! I adamantly considered myself not a sci-fi reader prior to it, but I’m so excited to explore the genre now :) thank you!
I keep telling myself I need to reread Cloud Atlas. At the time I first read it a decade ago I found myself agreeing with Le Guin’s review of Bone Clocks wherein she felt Mitchell’s writing is too self-conscious rather than freewheeling. I’m hoping that I can look past that and get immersed in his writing, because I’d really like to enjoy Mitchell the way other people do. I love The Dispossessed and like you I rank it above Left Hand of Darkness. And I love it for many of the same reasons, most especially its honesty about its own themes, which is to say that Le Guin, unapologetic though she is about her anarchism and her critique of capitalism, doesn’t suggest an egalitarian society just happens and self-perpetuates. It’s a powerful story because it brings us to a crucial insight about the labor a society requires. I need to get on a few of these, especially Canticle and Earthseed. Though I also need to reread New Sun so I can read Urth and then Long Sun. Well, now that the dissertation is ended perhaps I’ll have time…
I consider Brian Aldiss's 'Helliconia' trilogy to be equal to your recommendations, and still enjoy Poul Anderson's 'Brainwave' - which i think is SF elegance
Just finished Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary. Best book I've read in a long time, although Enders Game remains my all time favorite science fiction book
I totally agree with a TOP rank you gave to The Dispossessed, especially from a writers point of view, I think, this book is done very well and the harmony between form and content is adorable. I have one question I would really see your answer on: Why did you not include anything from Stanislaw Lem on your list? Although it may be hard to pick one book from him that stands out, his way of treating science fiction is philosophically interesting, full of subversive humor and very entertaining.
I'm curious about _The City and the City_ and put it on my reading list . It reminds me of Philip K. Dick's experience that he described in _Valis_ where ancient Rome was imposed on modern day California. The added mystery component is intriguing. I like these reviews. Based on your last review of your 10 Favorite Science Fiction Books, I read _A Canticle for Liebowitz_ . I agree with your assessment in this video.
I forgot to mention my fav author below!!!!!!!! (how could I?) Robert Sheckley!!!! Short story author of the 60's - he combines Philosophy with the Absurd, and adds a boatload if insanely funny humor in all his stories. You will laugh out loud serval times when reading him, and he aways has some sort of social commentary in all his stories. He is a forgotten name today, but had minor fame in this time. Douglas Adams used to read his stuff as a kid and admitted to pulling some of his ideas when he wrote Hickhicker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Ah yes, add more to the TBR! Currently sitting at 1,457 books on there (paring it down is, in fact, on the to-do list). I have to say, I could not get into Three Body Problem. Albeit, half of it was due to feeling like too much of a dummy to understand it and the other half was due to the jilted quality of the translation I got. Canticle for Leibowitz has been on my list for a while - I might just bump it up on the reading order to see what all the fuss is about. I read Left Hand of Darkness as one option of many my class could choose from in my Diversity and Inclusion class. I didn't know what to make of it at first and I admit my confusion led to me putting it down and looking up the ending for my report. Maybe it's worth a second try.
I did my primary degree in business and accountancy..decided I didnt want to become an accountant so then did a 1 year post grad diploma in I.T..this was back in 1997..Ive been working as a database developer/ programmer ever since..you can teach yourself the basics of programming or do some courses.. The majority of what I know I learned on the job or self taught..
@@XenoChron2I hated accounting..mgmt accounting was ok..hated Financial..I found I preferred hands on learning..learning by doing.. and programming was like that..
The Culture is definitely one of those ahrd to recommend series, but we will definitely be friends if you like it. I had the same problem with The Culture at first, didn't love Phlebas, but Player of games really made my gears turn and I loved it. Use of weapons was a tough read but my lord when it finishes, I still get chills thinking about reading that line at the end. Didn't Love The Lathe of heaven when I first read it but it's stayed with me for 2+ years now and its so much more than just the words on the page. LeGuin was really a truly unique person. Cant waiot to read more from her.
I agree with you on the dune sequals. They have two problems. One is that they are following up one of the greatest novels ever, and two is that they cover the same themes that the original book did only not as good. Part of the problem is that the original was so dense with theme and meaning that i think herbert had truley put everything he had into it and how do you follow that up, without repeating yourself, unless your worldview changes?
There's 3 in your 10 I haven't read (numbers 4, 3 and 2) , and the other 7 are some of my favourites too... guess i have my next 3 reads lined up - very happy I clicked on this :)
I liked the comment “sometimes science fiction writers can get too caught up in ideas and lose the human element”, and to me that applies to Anathem. It felt as though Stevensen was constantly trying to show how widely learned he is in philosophy, science, etc. It was fun, but when I think back the characters just kind of felt one dimensional. They discussed a lot of philosophical concepts sure, but it’s just not a book that changed my perspective on much or has stuck with me. I feel like all the energy in Anathem went into making interesting in a “left-brain” intellectual way but didn’t have the soul some other novels do. It seemed like a book for people who want to analyze and think rather than feel. Some books just linger in my consciousness and throughout life get invoked through various situations I find myself in. Anathem just hasn’t done that for me. I find whenever people are singing the praises of Anathem it is always “look at how interesting this premise for a novel is!” “Look at how they discuss all these different intellectual concepts” but it’s rarely about the actual characters or about how it was truly formative. Just my perspective
I agree - tried to get through Anathem but got stuck. If I want to read about philosophy or geometry I've got plenty of non-fiction options. I don't need to learn about big ideas secondhand through fictional characters having discussions.
I read a lot of Larry Niven as a kid and loved it. The Integral Trees was complete escape fiction, awesome setting in every sense of the word. Maybe not in my top ten, but it was fun.
@kacpercichosz465 Yes he's gone off the deep end (check out his highly offensive views about organ harvesting). I don't recall sexism in his novels and short stories but it's been 40 years since I last read them.
@kacpercichosz465 Rereading the first few chapters of Ringworld - yea, the relationship between Teela and Louis Wu is sort of gross. She's 20 and he's 200 years old. :-( Her character is pretty naive, too (in part due to her supernatural luck I guess), which makes it even worse.
@@RobertWF42 There are two female characters. First Teela who is all the time being described as silly. Then later on you have Prill, who is literally sex worker and all what she does is TRYING to have sex with main character. So both female characters: silly, horny and only useful when they open their legs. Definition of sexism in my eyes.
Have you read “The Lathe of Heaven” by Le Guin? I have a special connection to it because it’s set in Portland (I am from there) and that’s where she spend much of her life. I think this connection to place makes it feel very grounded, even though it is about a guy changing reality with his dreams.
Ouch to CS Lewis, but you're not wrong. I've been rereading some of his Christian work, and though it was like visiting an old friend, it felt dated and wanting for some freshening up.
I hope you can answer my questions? Why should I read many books if I always forget maybe more than 80% of what I have read? Isn't reading articles is better? If so what are the best sites to read ? Why should I read a certain book? What is the best books of all time and they are a must read in your opinion? Why I can finish whag I have started??
I love the Culture so much I legitimately have a hard choosing a favourite, there's 5 or 6 at any given time I could is my favourite SF novel. Need to do a re-read.
Thank you for these lists! About two months ago, one of your (older) videos showed up in my feed (I hadn’t seen your content before that), and you were describing Anathem on a similar list. Your description influenced me to order it, and I was not disappointed. After finishing Anathem, I realized I needed to come back and subscribe to your channel. My only issue is that now that I’ve read Anathem, I fear I won’t be able to enjoy Stephenson’s other novels as much. From the descriptions of the others, I think I’ve started with the best one, at least for my interests. Just ordered Cloud Atlas, again from your description. Looking forward to it. I’m curious if you’ve read any Susanna Clarke, and what you think of her? I just Piranesi, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I’m debating whether Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is worth the commitment.
im sure you've read the classics - The Machine Stops, Brave New World and 1984 - just to say they are on my 10. others - one is also in yours "15 years haha", "its still not him" - gotta love the immortal wandering jew Ben Eleazer in Canticle for Leibowitz (which were originally many short stories publcished in Amazing Stories - and compiled into a book a few years later. and you are right, the third part is the lesser part, mainly because Father Zercky is a man of action but not a deep thinker - he shows this when he cannot understand how Mrs Grayles "hates God" at the end. I always wondered what the character of Ben Eleazer represents - still not sure. I also would like to understand what the character Rachel represents (any insight into your views on this two characters I'd love to know about, I may gain wisdom from your insights into these characters). BTW the 1980 multipart RadioDrama is EXCELLENT!!!!! as good at the book (which is RARE i find with "remakes/adaptations of classic books). Highly recommend the old RadioDrama "X-Minus One" sci from the 1950's - its a great radioshow, also the radio-readings/plays 1970's-80's series "Mindwebs" is excellent too - both are over on Internet Archive. "Stranger in a Strange Land" - first 2/3 excellent, but last 1/3 terrible ;-/. (its like Hienland wrote most of it - then stopped - then wrote the last years later forgetting the first part! (not sure if that is what he did, but thats the feeling i got when i read it decades ago. 'Ender's Game" and "speaker for the dead" by Orson Card were excellent (met the guy once 20 yrs ago - kinda a rude dk - but those two works are excellent the man notwithstanding). BIG TIME SLEEPER that no one has heard of would be "Night of Light' by Phillip Farmer famous for his "Riverworld" series, "Night of Light" is excellent and one of his earliest works. and finally "Dying Inside" by Robert Silverburg is excellent - as is the late 90's BBC Radioplay of it. 2 cents.
The City & The City is incredible, glad to see it on here. I loved Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, but could not deal with the faux-18th century writing of the Quicksilver books, which is done less absurdly than Pynchon in Mason & Dixon but still unconvincing and irritating. Will need to check out Anathem though, I've always been intrigued by some of his other works.
Have you read the "Gap Cycle" series. It can be a slog at times but it's such a unique, foreboding amd claustrophobic setting...the themes are challenging psychologically but it's an experience.
Culture is such a mixed bag for me that I don't know if I can really recommend it as a series. The run of Player of Games through Inversions is golden for the reasons that you said, but Consider Phlebas and the later books are the kind of rambling space operas I've never really liked, though occasionally there are some solid philosophical ideas thrown in. I've never gotten very far into any of his other novels either. I'd probably just recommend for people to read Player of Games and Use of Weapons tbh.
Your comment about China Mieville’s bland book covers reflects a larger problem with the way today’s genre fiction is packaged and marketed. I guess publishers are afraid that pulpier cover art (or anything that screams “science fiction”) won’t sell, but I think they don’t understand the audience. I mean, look at how many SF BookTubers collect vintage books and rave about the cover art!
It's a pity that the novel "Inne pieśni" by Jacek Dukaj has not been translated into English, I think you would like it. This is unusual science fiction, assuming that Aristotle was right in describing how the universe works and that science has begun to implement practical applications of his philosophy.
Suggestion: place a picture of the book cover off to the side...leave the book cover picture on screen as long as you are talking about the book.
It's a great suggestion. I'm in on it.
Bookpilled
Love this suggestion!!!
That was a great video, and I applaud your ability to go back, examine your previous choices, and make changes based on new perspectives gained from discussions with others. Very few people examine their own thought processes as intensely as you do. A lot of people don’t examine them at all. So I appreciate it seeing it happen.
One of my favorite game authors interacting with my one of my favorite philosophy/lit channels? Amazing! TH-cam is an incredible place :)
P.S. Tim I still hold out hope that Arcanum 2 (or even an Arcanum remaster) will grace this world one day.
It’s nice of you to boost him up, but everyone does self-reflect and evolve to some extent. It’s just internal and often imperceptible to those around them.
I have to thank you Jared for these videos. I have in the last 12 months picked up both Le Guin novels and Canticle after hearing you speak so highly of them. I myself loved them very deeply also. I read mostly classics but am now really enjoying dipping back into sci-fi every so often as a nice change of pace.
I have tried reading classics but find them a bit slow, or less ambitious. Curious what your favourites are?
Let me take you back in my "way-back-machine" to 1948-1954 during which 6 books of space opera were published called "The Lensman Series.
IMO, this series are the greatest science fiction as space opera existing to date. This story starts in our past, on to futures which contain the most incredible mental, physical and the incredible technology advancements which are not yet dreamed of.
If science fiction becomes science fact, we have eons to go to catch up to E. E. "Doc" Smiths ideas. It literally changed and expanded my view of life and the universe.
It is out of print but can still be found. Edit: I just found out on amazon The Lensman Anthology: Complete and Unabridged which contains all 6 books.
Jared you went from doing a phd in philosophy to working in a tech company. Could you make a video on how you made this transistion. Like did you do any tech related stuff while doing your phd or was it like a completely new jump.
Would like to know how you made a transition from philosophy to tech. Would also help people who are considering of leaving academia after phd.
I second this
I did my primary degree in business and accountancy..decided I didnt want to become an accountant so then did a 1 year post grad diploma in I.T..this was back in 1997..Ive been working as a database developer/ programmer ever since..you can teach yourself the basics of programming or do some courses.. The majority of what I know I learned on the job or self taught..
I just loved The Left Hand of Darkness, but this year I read Cixin Liu's Three-Body Problem trilogy (Remembrance of Earth's Past) and was completely sent into another dimension!
Literally.
This reminds me of my senior year at A&M when I took a class on science fiction, for fun. It was certainly reading heavy by today's standards. We had a book of about 50 short stories, and we had to read one for each class. There were about 6 full novels as well. That was when I read Left Hand of Darkness, and it stunned me, it was so good. Among the short stories, the one I remember most is 'I Have No Mouth, But I Must Scream'. It was terrifying in a way which is hard to describe.
1) Since you have Dune on here I will endorse this list (even with the downplay of its greatness)
2) Planning to read Canticle this year
3) Thanks for this, I have added a handful to my TBR list!
wild mike appears!
Really liked ur take on Dune, I really like the first book on its own and also the dune messiah because of how ti kind of ties up Paul's strory a bit. thank you so much for making videos that make me want to read more instead of just doom scrolling on my phone all day :)
Finally someone talked about Le Guin! Thank you!
I've always felt that books read the reader. Listening to you and observing your all-time list gives me a feel, I believe, for your mind and worldview. Even though I don't feel there would be a lot of commonality with my own, hearing a video like this is still helpful in my selecting the books I will give the time to read.
Jared thanks for making this video . Your discussion points are excellent and I also agree with your reasoning as to why top ten lists can change over the years.
It's great that you discovered Mieville and that you are going through some of his work. The City and the City was hard to understand, and yet it was easy to read. I'm not sure how to put that in any other way. I love that you are holding you judgement on the Baas Lag trilogy until you finish it. Those three books are all very different from one another and are hard to judge as a single trilogy. Finally, I'd like to add that I understand your feelings for Anathem. The first time I read it my mind was blown, the second time the book was cemented as my favorite sci-fi novel, for all the reasons you mention.
I read Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" in high school and was hooked, I was two when it was published. I tried to read "Stranger in a Strange Land," and "I Will Fear No Evil," but my older brother swiped them and I never got to finish them. I've since lost the taste for most all fiction. I have a collection of technical detail books on military aircraft because I'm a hobbyist who builds plastic models for fun, that consumes the bulk of my reading time. Time for me is getting short, I'm pushing 70, and I must make the best of the time I have left...
What a great list! All winners, not a mediocre book in sight.
Btw, if you liked "The City & The City," you might just love "The Other City" by Michal Ajvaz (original Checz title: Druhé město). Less crime, more mesmerising Eastern European parallel cities hallucinations.
I'll check it out
i dont even really consider cloud atlas as scifi so much as general fiction with speculative elements so when i saw you list the book it came completely out of left field for me and i just yelled "YES! YES!!" because it's possibly my favourite book of all time
The way you describe The City & the City reminded me of the series Fringe.
The BBC actually did a TV adaptation of The City and The City.
I'd like to recommend His Masters Voice by Stainslaw Lem. It is supposedly sci fi but it reads more like a philosophical memoir. I don't think it'll reach your top 10, but it definitely worth reading.
Jared, thank you! So many new titles for me.
Les Robinsons du Cosmos (The Robinsons of the Cosmos) by
François Bordes is my number one: 'A piece of French land is ripped off from the Earth during a galactic collision and planted on an alien planet.'
Great list Jared. The only surprise for me was not seeing Hyperion on your list. Its playing with form while also having a really strong cast of characters, having beautiful prose, and poignant themes, is quite similar to other books on your list like Cloud Atlas or Culture series.
Other fun fact. The structure of Use Of Weapons was suggested to Banks by his friend and fellow sci-fi author Ken MacLeod. That way the significance of the white chair would not have been a mid-novel shock reveal but a the opening blow of a devastating one-two punch right in the feels of the reader. He actually came up with the story and started writing it before the first two books, just couldn't compete it until he cracked that structure and how to fully exploit the twists and turns of the plot.
Yooooooooo you could not be more wrong about Lewis. I was literally thinking about what I would put at the top 10 and all three were the Space Trilogy. I wouldn’t call him pedantic in the least bit; quite the opposite.
In fact, there is a major contrast in his writing style to one of his dearest friend’s, Tolkien, who is the sheer definition of pedantic in his highly over-descriptive and detailed observations of things like a tree, or a leaf, or a hillside. And I adore Tolkien…it just takes more patience. Lewis gets to the point, to the heart, in all of his non-fiction (as opposed to his apologetics). I would call him anything but pedantic.
I don't think he's using the word pedantic correctly, which is ironically a very pedantic thing of me to say, lol.
I think what he meant to say is Lewis is didactic. In other words he writes with the purpose of teaching moral lessons and comes across as preachy, doesn't let the reader come to their own conclusions and offers no space within the text to disagree with the Christian message he's trying to push. But it's not an issue of writing style, moreso of actual content of his works.
He nicely contrasts this approach with Gene Wolfe later on, whose Catholic faith is infused in all his work but never feels like he's trying to preach/talk down to/or moralize at the reader. He just IS deeply Catholic so it naturally pops up in what he writes. I've never felt talked down to or judged as an atheist reading Wolfe. I definitely have felt that way reading Lewis (still love Narnia though, nostalgia is a helluva drug).
Love The Dispossessed! Glad to see it at the top of your list.
Ursula has become my favorite also. I loved both "The left hand of darkness" and "The Dispossessed".
Loved this! I agree with your thoughts about authors not trusting readers and valuing the human element in sci-fi. I'm now looking forward to reading The City & The City!
Would love hear more of your thoughts on your souring view on Three Body Problem. I read it several years ago, and while it definitely stuck with me, I too have found myself looking more negatively upon it. There are several reasons for this, from the misogyny (that is supposedly worse in the native text) to poorly written one-dimensional characters, and perhaps most importantly issues that I have begun to have with the entire concept of the "Dark Forest Hypothesis". I personally feel that Blindsight by Peter Watts far more effectively harnesses ideas of terror that may be lurking within the unknowns and indifference of our universe, a presentation of cosmic terror that holds beyond the alien species of this particular first contact novel. Where the unknowns of our universe could easily break down the assumptions and axioms of the dark forest hypothesis, the very fact of the unknown props up the core of Watts' Blindsight regardless of how that unknown actually manifests. I much prefer the terror induced by the cold indifference of our universe over the (far lesser) terror induced by the limit of logic that the human psyche has reached insisting that any sufficiently advanced civilization must become unwaveringly xenocidal or die.
Three body problem is awesome because of the ideas. The writing is rather bleh, but it also unlike most of its competition originated in another language and required translation so unless you read it in it's native form I don't think it's fair to focus on such things. Either way this series will inspire other writers to elaborate on any of the 100 ideas brought forward in those books.
I too have soured on 3BP. Its ideas were really engaging in the moment but when I've thought about reccomending it to people, I couldn't articulate what actually made it good. Agreed on the misogyny as well, so immature and tropey it becomes funny in a way.
See my comment in this thread. The TBP has some interesting ideas, but the science in it isn't much better than the science in ERB's John Carter of Mars series.
Thank you for the reading inspiration. Great video as always.
Happy to see some Miéville on here! The broken binding is doing a release of the bas lag trilogy with incredible covers, but aside from that you're completely correct about his covers lol.
Thanks for the vid...and I'm glad you used "my favorite" instead of "greatest" or "best". That would be like stating that sky blue or alizarin crimson is the "best color".
The Dispossessed was the book that got me back into reading. It took a long time to finish but I was always glad to get back into it, and the final half of the book kept me gripped and flying through so much I finally came out the other end a reader reborn.
For something as dense and complex as Anathem, you should consider making a chapter by chapter bookclub-esque series analyzing it, or even just praising it and mentioning your favorite parts and giving a different perspective in a lowkey fashion. Idk the chapter layout so maybe that's too much and it should be grouped by a few chapters at a time, but just an idea. A book club podcast REALLY helped my understanding and appreciation of Dune which is why I suggest such a thing. You could make it a paywall exclusive of some kind.
I loved both Le Guin's books you mentioned, it is dry in a sense but indeed wants YOU to think and find the meaning.
Fun fact China wrote The City and The City in honour of his mum, who wasn't into the type of genre stuff he likes to write but did love Detective fiction. His non fictional work is excellent too.
So much respect, The Dispossessed is one of my most cherished books to read and re-read. I don't think it gets the praise it deserves.
Definitely checking out The City and the City, Cloud Atlas, and the Dispossessed because of this video.
Enders game might be my favorite. The book goes into thought processes and strategies that a movie could not easily convey.
Thank you for the updated list! I have read many of the books from your last lists, thanks to your recommendations, and loved many of them dearly. Blood Meridian changed my life.
When he moved Iain Banks up on his list, I just knew it was from reading Use of Weapons, since he had not yet experienced it in his last top ten installment. By far my favorite Banks novel.
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I'd love to hear your thoughts on Jeff VanderMeer and Murakami. I would put them in that Mitchell/Mieville category of quasi-scifi literary fiction.
Would be interested in hearing about what has changed your opinion of 3 Body in detail.
Love your reviews . Two of your top 3 are my favorite books. I only just read The Dispossessed this year and I’m still recovering. Maybe it’s a good idea to read it every year. As for Anathem, , I didn’t have a clue what was going on….all the way to the last pages. I can never be that innocent again.
Just finished the three body problem trilogy, and will be doing follow-up reflections soon. How serious of a downgrade is this? Would love it if you were to post your reasons for downgrading it.
As a scientist myself I was so excited to know your taste in science fiction and if it is as awesome as yours in philosophy….and yeaaahhh it is…thanks that list would be very helpful to everyone ✅
I do agree with your list, especially retrieving C.S Lewis and the Three Body Problem
Thanks for sharing this video! C.S. Lewis' Perelandra, H.G. Wells Time Machine and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Jules Verne were what hooked me into sci fi when I was young. In the 80's to early 2000s I loved Ursula K. Le Guinn, Roger Zelazny, C.J. Cherryh's early foreigner series, Larry Niven, Gordon R. Dickson and the Star Trek Novels TNG Novels :) I'm looking to ignite my passion in sci fi again so your video is a good place to start :)
Great video as always, Jared. Our opinions and preferences aren't static and as we read more, we also evolve. Looking inward to find out what has changed and bringing in new book recommendations and new ideas is what makes us better readers and writers. Looking forward to this list in 2025.
The Culture series is absolutely amazing. I find Consider Phlebas very underrated. I think it shows a different side of the culture series and a different style by Banks.
A live story and Science Fiction thriller.
The Car Tribe Universe
How do you feel about the Mars Trilogy? I've only read Red Mars, myself, but I adored every second of it. The discussion of how this unique culture develops on Mars, and how it transforms and comes into conflict with Earth is incredibly compelling.
Loved this list and, congrats, you've added to TBR Mountain :) I really must get LeGuin moved up the reading order.
I read The Dispossessed thanks to you and sunbeamsjess and fell in love with it! I adamantly considered myself not a sci-fi reader prior to it, but I’m so excited to explore the genre now :) thank you!
Thanks for doing these.
The Book of the New Sus is an absolute masterpiece. Gene Wolfe!
I LOVE your lists, you can make as many as you wish, go ahead. 😊❤
I keep telling myself I need to reread Cloud Atlas. At the time I first read it a decade ago I found myself agreeing with Le Guin’s review of Bone Clocks wherein she felt Mitchell’s writing is too self-conscious rather than freewheeling. I’m hoping that I can look past that and get immersed in his writing, because I’d really like to enjoy Mitchell the way other people do.
I love The Dispossessed and like you I rank it above Left Hand of Darkness. And I love it for many of the same reasons, most especially its honesty about its own themes, which is to say that Le Guin, unapologetic though she is about her anarchism and her critique of capitalism, doesn’t suggest an egalitarian society just happens and self-perpetuates. It’s a powerful story because it brings us to a crucial insight about the labor a society requires.
I need to get on a few of these, especially Canticle and Earthseed. Though I also need to reread New Sun so I can read Urth and then Long Sun. Well, now that the dissertation is ended perhaps I’ll have time…
The city and the city kinda sounds like “Caves of Steel” by Issac Asimov
I consider Brian Aldiss's 'Helliconia' trilogy to be equal to your recommendations, and still enjoy Poul Anderson's 'Brainwave' - which i think is SF elegance
Great list!
Even your advertising is interesting to listen! Love and respect!
An excellent video. Your channel is an invaluable gem on youtube and you are such an icon Jared. Thank you for this video. Keep up the good work!
Since you enjoy Le Guin so much I wanted to ask if you have read more of the new wave writers like PKD or JG Ballard.
Yes. I've read a lot of PKD, though I liked him more in high school than I do now. I also quite like Samuel Delany, who is another New Wave writer.
Just finished Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary.
Best book I've read in a long time, although Enders Game remains my all time favorite science fiction book
I totally agree with a TOP rank you gave to The Dispossessed, especially from a writers point of view, I think, this book is done very well and the harmony between form and content is adorable. I have one question I would really see your answer on: Why did you not include anything from Stanislaw Lem on your list? Although it may be hard to pick one book from him that stands out, his way of treating science fiction is philosophically interesting, full of subversive humor and very entertaining.
Nice to find someone who loves Anathem as much as I do!
I'm curious about _The City and the City_ and put it on my reading list . It reminds me of Philip K. Dick's experience that he described in _Valis_ where ancient Rome was imposed on modern day California. The added mystery component is intriguing.
I like these reviews. Based on your last review of your 10 Favorite Science Fiction Books, I read _A Canticle for Liebowitz_ . I agree with your assessment in this video.
I forgot to mention my fav author below!!!!!!!! (how could I?)
Robert Sheckley!!!!
Short story author of the 60's - he combines Philosophy with the Absurd, and adds a boatload if insanely funny humor in all his stories. You will laugh out loud serval times when reading him, and he aways has some sort of social commentary in all his stories.
He is a forgotten name today, but had minor fame in this time. Douglas Adams used to read his stuff as a kid and admitted to pulling some of his ideas when he wrote Hickhicker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Ah yes, add more to the TBR! Currently sitting at 1,457 books on there (paring it down is, in fact, on the to-do list). I have to say, I could not get into Three Body Problem. Albeit, half of it was due to feeling like too much of a dummy to understand it and the other half was due to the jilted quality of the translation I got. Canticle for Leibowitz has been on my list for a while - I might just bump it up on the reading order to see what all the fuss is about. I read Left Hand of Darkness as one option of many my class could choose from in my Diversity and Inclusion class. I didn't know what to make of it at first and I admit my confusion led to me putting it down and looking up the ending for my report. Maybe it's worth a second try.
I figured Blindsight would be a shoe in for one of your favorites.
Agree about Perelandra. A lovely book.
Ursula K. LeGuin's epic, "Always Coming Home", is now available on Audible.
I did my primary degree in business and accountancy..decided I didnt want to become an accountant so then did a 1 year post grad diploma in I.T..this was back in 1997..Ive been working as a database developer/ programmer ever since..you can teach yourself the basics of programming or do some courses.. The majority of what I know I learned on the job or self taught..
How does one move from accounting to programming? As someone going for accounting, programming seems harder.
@@XenoChron2I hated accounting..mgmt accounting was ok..hated Financial..I found I preferred hands on learning..learning by doing.. and programming was like that..
The Culture is definitely one of those ahrd to recommend series, but we will definitely be friends if you like it. I had the same problem with The Culture at first, didn't love Phlebas, but Player of games really made my gears turn and I loved it. Use of weapons was a tough read but my lord when it finishes, I still get chills thinking about reading that line at the end.
Didn't Love The Lathe of heaven when I first read it but it's stayed with me for 2+ years now and its so much more than just the words on the page. LeGuin was really a truly unique person. Cant waiot to read more from her.
Thanks for the update vid 🤗
I agree with you on the dune sequals. They have two problems. One is that they are following up one of the greatest novels ever, and two is that they cover the same themes that the original book did only not as good. Part of the problem is that the original was so dense with theme and meaning that i think herbert had truley put everything he had into it and how do you follow that up, without repeating yourself, unless your worldview changes?
There's 3 in your 10 I haven't read (numbers 4, 3 and 2) , and the other 7 are some of my favourites too... guess i have my next 3 reads lined up - very happy I clicked on this :)
I liked the comment “sometimes science fiction writers can get too caught up in ideas and lose the human element”, and to me that applies to Anathem.
It felt as though Stevensen was constantly trying to show how widely learned he is in philosophy, science, etc.
It was fun, but when I think back the characters just kind of felt one dimensional. They discussed a lot of philosophical concepts sure, but it’s just not a book that changed my perspective on much or has stuck with me.
I feel like all the energy in Anathem went into making interesting in a “left-brain” intellectual way but didn’t have the soul some other novels do. It seemed like a book for people who want to analyze and think rather than feel.
Some books just linger in my consciousness and throughout life get invoked through various situations I find myself in. Anathem just hasn’t done that for me.
I find whenever people are singing the praises of Anathem it is always “look at how interesting this premise for a novel is!” “Look at how they discuss all these different intellectual concepts” but it’s rarely about the actual characters or about how it was truly formative.
Just my perspective
I agree - tried to get through Anathem but got stuck. If I want to read about philosophy or geometry I've got plenty of non-fiction options.
I don't need to learn about big ideas secondhand through fictional characters having discussions.
@@RobertWF42 yeah for me I did enjoy it and got through it very quickly, but just wasn’t a novel that had any lasting impact on me
I read a lot of Larry Niven as a kid and loved it. The Integral Trees was complete escape fiction, awesome setting in every sense of the word. Maybe not in my top ten, but it was fun.
Niven is terrible and extremely sexist in his books.
@kacpercichosz465 Yes he's gone off the deep end (check out his highly offensive views about organ harvesting). I don't recall sexism in his novels and short stories but it's been 40 years since I last read them.
@@RobertWF42 Ringworld was very sexist. I never read his other books, because I heard they are not much different.
@kacpercichosz465 Rereading the first few chapters of Ringworld - yea, the relationship between Teela and Louis Wu is sort of gross. She's 20 and he's 200 years old. :-( Her character is pretty naive, too (in part due to her supernatural luck I guess), which makes it even worse.
@@RobertWF42 There are two female characters. First Teela who is all the time being described as silly. Then later on you have Prill, who is literally sex worker and all what she does is TRYING to have sex with main character. So both female characters: silly, horny and only useful when they open their legs. Definition of sexism in my eyes.
Oh man, someone with China Miéville on thier list! Love it - liked and subscribed :)
Have you read “The Lathe of Heaven” by Le Guin? I have a special connection to it because it’s set in Portland (I am from there) and that’s where she spend much of her life. I think this connection to place makes it feel very grounded, even though it is about a guy changing reality with his dreams.
Ouch to CS Lewis, but you're not wrong. I've been rereading some of his Christian work, and though it was like visiting an old friend, it felt dated and wanting for some freshening up.
Do another classics video please!❤ Really enjoyed this.
22:55 DHALGREN MENTION LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
I rarely dnf books and consider phlebas I dnf'd. I decided the culture series wasn't for me but now I might give it another shot.
I hope you can answer my questions?
Why should I read many books if I always forget maybe more than 80% of what I have read?
Isn't reading articles is better? If so what are the best sites to read ?
Why should I read a certain book? What is the best books of all time and they are a must read in your opinion? Why I can finish whag I have started??
Excellent video. I will check it out to start in sci fi thank you
I really appreciate that Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun continues to hold a prominent place.
Some of my favorite sci fis are not on your list BUT,,,, I strongly agree with you on Le Guin's Deposessed.
I love the Culture so much I legitimately have a hard choosing a favourite, there's 5 or 6 at any given time I could is my favourite SF novel. Need to do a re-read.
Thank you for these lists! About two months ago, one of your (older) videos showed up in my feed (I hadn’t seen your content before that), and you were describing Anathem on a similar list. Your description influenced me to order it, and I was not disappointed.
After finishing Anathem, I realized I needed to come back and subscribe to your channel.
My only issue is that now that I’ve read Anathem, I fear I won’t be able to enjoy Stephenson’s other novels as much. From the descriptions of the others, I think I’ve started with the best one, at least for my interests.
Just ordered Cloud Atlas, again from your description. Looking forward to it.
I’m curious if you’ve read any Susanna Clarke, and what you think of her? I just Piranesi, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I’m debating whether Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is worth the commitment.
Ahh just saw another video where you mention Piranesi 👍
YESSSSS A CULTURE SHOUTOUT!!! Absolutely love the series
I have exams next week, I did not study because of this man. He is guilty of recommending amazing books. (Said with a lot of admiration )
im sure you've read the classics - The Machine Stops, Brave New World and 1984 - just to say they are on my 10.
others - one is also in yours "15 years haha", "its still not him" - gotta love the immortal wandering jew Ben Eleazer in Canticle for Leibowitz (which were originally many short stories publcished in Amazing Stories - and compiled into a book a few years later. and you are right, the third part is the lesser part, mainly because Father Zercky is a man of action but not a deep thinker - he shows this when he cannot understand how Mrs Grayles "hates God" at the end.
I always wondered what the character of Ben Eleazer represents - still not sure. I also would like to understand what the character Rachel represents (any insight into your views on this two characters I'd love to know about, I may gain wisdom from your insights into these characters). BTW the 1980 multipart RadioDrama is EXCELLENT!!!!! as good at the book (which is RARE i find with "remakes/adaptations of classic books).
Highly recommend the old RadioDrama "X-Minus One" sci from the 1950's - its a great radioshow, also the radio-readings/plays 1970's-80's series "Mindwebs" is excellent too - both are over on Internet Archive.
"Stranger in a Strange Land" - first 2/3 excellent, but last 1/3 terrible ;-/. (its like Hienland wrote most of it - then stopped - then wrote the last years later forgetting the first part! (not sure if that is what he did, but thats the feeling i got when i read it decades ago.
'Ender's Game" and "speaker for the dead" by Orson Card were excellent (met the guy once 20 yrs ago - kinda a rude dk - but those two works are excellent the man notwithstanding).
BIG TIME SLEEPER that no one has heard of would be "Night of Light' by Phillip Farmer famous for his "Riverworld" series, "Night of Light" is excellent and one of his earliest works.
and finally "Dying Inside" by Robert Silverburg is excellent - as is the late 90's BBC Radioplay of it.
2 cents.
I am really really happy to hear that you got into Miéville. Very excited about what you think about his other novels :)
The City & The City is incredible, glad to see it on here.
I loved Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, but could not deal with the faux-18th century writing of the Quicksilver books, which is done less absurdly than Pynchon in Mason & Dixon but still unconvincing and irritating. Will need to check out Anathem though, I've always been intrigued by some of his other works.
Have you read the "Gap Cycle" series.
It can be a slog at times but it's such a unique, foreboding amd claustrophobic setting...the themes are challenging psychologically but it's an experience.
Culture is such a mixed bag for me that I don't know if I can really recommend it as a series. The run of Player of Games through Inversions is golden for the reasons that you said, but Consider Phlebas and the later books are the kind of rambling space operas I've never really liked, though occasionally there are some solid philosophical ideas thrown in. I've never gotten very far into any of his other novels either. I'd probably just recommend for people to read Player of Games and Use of Weapons tbh.
Very good list. Have you read Hyperion?
Yes. It’s very good. I think the second book is much worse, but I loved the first one.
Your comment about China Mieville’s bland book covers reflects a larger problem with the way today’s genre fiction is packaged and marketed. I guess publishers are afraid that pulpier cover art (or anything that screams “science fiction”) won’t sell, but I think they don’t understand the audience. I mean, look at how many SF BookTubers collect vintage books and rave about the cover art!
So guess you haven't read Solaris yet?
It was in his top 7 philosophical science fiction novels, along with Dune, Cloud Atlas and Anathem. A little over a year ago.
@@haber_nagerie Thanks for info. I started watching him just lately so I didn't know.
It's a pity that the novel "Inne pieśni" by Jacek Dukaj has not been translated into English, I think you would like it. This is unusual science fiction, assuming that Aristotle was right in describing how the universe works and that science has begun to implement practical applications of his philosophy.